By Finn Hoogensen
While she was a student at Trinity College Dublin, Agnes Kipalo cleaned homes to make money on the side. Little did she know then that she would develop a passion for the work that led her to start her own business.
Kipalo recalls how clients would regularly suggest to her about becoming her own boss. “I said [to myself], ‘One day I’ll create something for myself and to help people’,” she says. “I just want to solve this problem of cleaning. People are busy working, but if I’m there to make their house clean, I’m happy to be doing that.”
Kipalo’s cleaning business, aCleaner, is based in Dublin and provides cleaning services for homes, apartments and offices, as well as floors, carpets, upholstery, windows and power washing.
In a market bursting with similar services, Kipalo believes aCleaner has unique features to stand out from the crowd. For example, the cleaning products she uses are homemade and therefore more environmentally friendly.
“I like the environment to be clean,” Kipalo says. “People are trying to find ways of making stuff [more] environmentally friendly than before.”
According to Kipalo, her cleaning products are also safe for users as well as easy on surfaces.
“Other cleaning materials, they are kind of harsh. You don’t know what is in it. Though it is written [on the bottle], you don’t know the effects, especially for people who are involved with cleaning,” she says.
Kipalo said her homemade solution is versatile in its ability to clean multiple surfaces, from floors to doors, sinks and toilets. She says this versatility is beneficial because it saves money, too.
Eventually, Kipalo would like to retail her products to the public. But for now, her goal is to expand her business one step at a time, hiring more employees and even contracting workers outside of Dublin. For example, she envisions hiring stay-at-home mothers who can clean during the day while the children are at school.
“I feel like I have to do this and empower people and create jobs for people,” Kipalo says.
For more on Agnes’ business visit www.acleaner.ie.